Major depression on rise in Pa., US

Friday

A new study by a major health insurer shows that diagnoses of major depression have risen dramatically, by 33 percent since 2013.

The study of those insured showed that the rate is rising even faster among millennials, up 47 percent; and adolescents; for boys, it’s up 47 percent and for girls the numbers are up 65 percent.

A millennial is a person who reached young adulthood at the turn of the century.

The comprehensive study was overseen by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and examines 41 million Americans who are insured.

Major depression affects more than nine million commercially insured patients in the U.S., according to the study.

The report, based on medical claims data from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Index, also shows how major depression diagnoses are linked to other chronic health conditions.

The study found that major depression has a diagnosis rate of 4.4 percent for Blue Cross Blue Shield members.

Diagnosis rates vary by as much at 300 percent by state from a high of 6.4 percent in Rhode Island to lows of 2.1 in Hawai and 3.2 percent in Nevada in 2016. By city, diagnosis rates range more than 400 percent from a high of 6.8 percent in Topeka, Kansas, to lows of 1.5 percent in Laredo, Texas, and 2 percent in McAllen/Edinburg/Mission, Texas.

Pennsylvania fell within the national average of 4.4 percent of the population. No local data was available for Monroe County.

The National Institute of Mental Health has the numbers even higher.

"According to National Institute of Mental Health there are 16.2 million adults in the US that had a least one major depressive episode," according to Anthony Drago, the chairman of the department of psychology at East Stroudsburg University. "That accounts for 6.7 percent of the adult population. The prevalence among females is 8.5 percent compared to males at 4.8 percent. The 18-25 age range has the highest overall rates at 10.9 percent.

The numbers show a slight increase during the past few years but the reasons are not clear, Drago said.

"There is less of a stigma in acknowledging depression so that may contribute to the numbers. Women generally report depression more that men so those comparisons may not be accurate. There is an increase in screening from primary care physicians and our diagnostic procedures are improving which will also led to an increase in numbers.

The study also found that women are diagnosed with major depression at double the rate of men, at 6 percent verses 3 percent, respectively. These differences may be due in part because women are more likely to seek treatment, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Those diagnosed with major depression use health care services more than those without a depression diagnosis. This resulted in two times the health care spending for those diagnosed with depression, averaging about $10,673 for those with a diagnosis compared to $4,283 for those without.

The results of the study show dramatic impact for the future.

“Major depression diagnoses are growing quickly, especially for adolescents and millennials,” Trent Haywood, senior vice president and chief medical officer for Blue Cross Blue Shield Association said. “The high rates for adolescents and millennials could have a substantial health impact for decades to come. Further education and research is needed to identify methods for both physicians and patients to effectively treat major depression and begin a path to recovery and better overall health.”

Social media may play a role.

“In preliminary literature, high users of social media have been linked with higher rates of social isolation than low users,” Haywood added. “It is important to further explore this relationship.”

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Index is powered by medical claims data from more than 41 million commercially insured members of Blue Cross Blue Shield companies.

A key reason for the lower overall health of those diagnosed with major depression is that they are likely to also suffer from other health conditions. Eighty-five percent of people who are diagnosed with major depression also have one or more additional serious chronic health conditions, and nearly 30 percent have four or more other conditions, according to the study.

In fact, major depression is the second most impactful condition on the overall health of commercially insured Americans, as measured by the health index. Only hypertension, with a nearly five-fold higher diagnosis rate, has a broader health impact on Americans.

The overall health of people diagnosed with major depression is 27 percent lower than for those without this diagnosis, due to diagnoses of both major depression and one or more additional health conditions, according to the study that focused on the period of 2013 to 2016.

Major depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest, according to the Mayo Clinic. It can also be accompanied by hopelessness, angry outbursts or even frustration over small matters.

Depression ranges in seriousness, from mild, temporary episodes of sadness to severe, persistent depression, according to Dr. Daniel K. Hall-Flavin of the Mayo Clinic. Clinical depression, also known as major depression or major depressive disorder is the more-severe form of depression, more drug resistant and more difficult to treat.

"Regardless of the reasons for the large numbers, it is important the individuals experiencing depression seek treatment. Similar to other illness, the earlier the intervention the better the prognosis," Drago said.

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